This invention relates to devices for securing all-terrain vehicles on trucks or trailers, for hauling purposes.
The term "all-terrain vehicle" (abbreviated as ATV) is used herein in the conventional sense, as used in magazines such as ATV Magazine (Ehlert Publishing Group, Minnetonka, Minn.). Examples include (but are not limited to) the Honda Foreman 400, the Yamaha Big Bear, the Kawasaki Bayou 300, and the Polaris Scrambler 500. In general, they are gasoline-powered vehicles having three or four wheels (this excludes motorcycles and snowmobiles), designed for carrying an adult driver across rough and uneven terrain while the driver rides on a seat that is open and exposed (rather than in a closed or closable passenger compartment). Most ATV's have four-wheel drive, but some have 2-wheel drive; nearly all use high-traction tires with tractor-type or comparable treads. Although ATV's are used widely for recreation, they are also very useful in various types of outdoor work and business, such as surveying terrain, monitoring and maintaining pipelines and utility lines, caring for livestock, etc.
Because most ATV's are not properly equipped to be driven on public roads, and because they usually cannot be driven safely at highway speeds, it is often necessary to transport an ATV from an office, warehouse, or other storage site, to a location where it will be started, driven, and used. To accomplish this type of transport, an ATV is usually loaded into the bed of a pickup truck or towable trailer.
Prior to this invention, most ATV's have been secured to a truck or trailer by any of several means, such as chains or ropes wrapped around various parts of the ATV, such as the axles, wheels, towing hitch, etc.
The Applicant herein is an engineer who owns and runs a surveying and engineering company that uses ATV's in its work. In his experiences with ATV transport, he has discovered that chains, ropes, and other conventional securing means are sometimes inadequate for securing ATV's on pickup trucks or trailers. Under various conditions, ATV's that have been loaded on trailers for transport can pose a substantial danger of working their way loose and causing substantial damage, to themselves and possibly to the transporting vehicle and to nearby traffic.
These problems are aggravated by the suspension systems used on ATV's. The suspension systems that make ATV's capable of climbing and crossing rugged terrain, and which also make them lively, bouncy, and fun to ride for recreational users, can also make ATV's very difficult to secure in a safe and reliable manner. Indeed, with their weight and spring-mounted suspensions, ATV's that are secured with just ropes or chains can sometimes seem to take on the characteristics of large animals that are determined to break free.
To minimize such problems, a truck or trailer carrying an ATV often must be driven at speeds which are substantially lower than the speed limit on a typical highway. However, in business use, the requirement for slow transport speed wastes time, manpower, and other resources; in recreational use, it cuts down on the amount of enjoyable recreation time.
Fixed-point securing systems, which involve devices such as non-adjustable brackets or other comparable devices that are welded in fixed positions on a trailer or truck bed also are not preferred for transporting ATV's, for at least two reasons: (1) it is difficult and tedious to precisely align an ATV adequately in a rigid system on a truck or trailer, especially if the ATV's wheels are caked with mud or dirt, and (2) a rigid system might damage an ATV (or a truck or trailer) during transport, if the truck or trailer hits a large pothole, rock, or other obstruction in the road.
Accordingly, one object of this invention is to disclose an improved means and method for securing an ATV in a truck or trailer bed, for transporting the ATV to and from a site where the ATV will be used.
Another object of this invention is to disclose a means and method for safely and reliably securing an ATV in a truck or trailer, in a manner which allows the truck or trailer to travel at higher rates of speed than can be safely achieved when ropes or chains are used.